Franz Mesmer: Origins of Hypnosis
From Animal Magnetism to Modern Hypnosis: How a Royal Investigation Changed Psychology
Today, hypnosis is recognized as a legitimate psychological tool that can help manage pain, reduce anxiety, and support certain medical and mental health conditions. But its origins are far stranger than most people realize. The story begins with an eighteenth-century physician who believed he had discovered an invisible force flowing through all living things.
The Birth of “Animal Magnetism”
Franz Anton Mesmer believed that an invisible natural force called animal magnetism flowed through every living creature. He believed illness occurred when this invisible fluid became blocked or unbalanced.
Mesmer used magnets, his hands, and metal rods in elaborate treatments. Patients sometimes reported warmth, tingling, trembling, emotional reactions, and even relief from their symptoms.
His sessions often involved a large wooden tub called a baquet, filled with bottles of water and metal filings. Patients held iron rods connected to the tub while music played and Mesmer moved dramatically around the room.
King Louis XVI Orders an Investigation
Mesmer's growing popularity attracted serious skepticism. In 1784, King Louis XVI of France ordered two scientific commissions to investigate whether animal magnetism actually existed.
The investigation included several major scientific figures, including:
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Benjamin Franklin
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Antoine Lavoisier
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Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
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Other physicians and scientists
Instead of simply asking whether patients improved, the investigators asked a much more important question:
What was actually causing the improvement?
A Brilliant Early Experiment
The commission created experiments that were surprisingly similar to modern psychological research.
In some tests, participants believed they were being magnetized when they were not. In other tests, participants were secretly exposed to Mesmer's supposed magnetic force without knowing it.
The results were striking.
People often experienced strong reactions when they believed they were receiving treatment, even when no magnetic procedure had occurred. When people were exposed to the supposed magnetic force without knowing it, little or nothing happened.
The investigators concluded that the experiences were genuine, but the explanation was not. They argued that expectation, imagination, and suggestion were responsible—not an invisible magnetic fluid.
The Birth of Scientific Suggestion
Mesmer's theory was rejected, but the investigation revealed something extremely important: belief and suggestion can produce real psychological and physical experiences.
This discovery helped inspire further research into hypnosis.
Over the following century, physicians and psychologists began studying hypnosis without relying on mysterious magnetic forces. Researchers increasingly described hypnosis as involving focused attention, heightened suggestibility, and altered awareness.
Freud’s Early Interest in Hypnosis
Nearly a century later, hypnosis influenced another major figure in psychology: Sigmund Freud.
In the 1880s, Freud traveled to Paris to study with Jean-Martin Charcot, who used hypnosis while treating patients with hysteria, a historical diagnosis that is no longer used today.
Freud later worked with Hippolyte Bernheim, who emphasized the power of suggestion.
Freud initially used hypnosis to help patients recall distressing experiences and relieve psychological symptoms. However, he eventually became frustrated with its limitations and developed free association, which became an important part of psychoanalysis.
What Does Modern Science Say About Hypnosis?
Modern psychology no longer views hypnosis as mysterious mind control or evidence of magnetic energy.
Instead, hypnosis is generally understood as a state of focused attention accompanied by increased responsiveness to suggestion.
Research suggests that hypnosis can influence brain activity involved in attention, pain perception, and self-awareness.
Clinical hypnosis may help some people manage:
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Chronic pain
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Medical procedures
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Dental anxiety
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Irritable bowel syndrome
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Stress and anxiety
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Smoking cessation, although evidence is mixed
Importantly, hypnosis is not mind control. People generally remain aware of their surroundings and cannot simply be forced to violate their deeply held values.
Why This Story Matters
The story of Mesmer demonstrates an important principle of science:
An observation can be real even when the explanation for it is wrong.
Mesmer's theory of animal magnetism was incorrect, but his patients' experiences were real. The royal commission's investigation helped reveal the powerful influence of belief, expectation, and suggestion.
This idea continues to influence psychology, medicine, hypnosis, placebo research, and neuroscience today.
The Bottom Line
Franz Mesmer believed he had discovered an invisible healing force flowing through the human body. The investigation ordered by King Louis XVI found no evidence that animal magnetism existed.
Instead, the investigators uncovered something arguably more fascinating: the extraordinary power of suggestion.
Mesmer's unusual legacy helped inspire scientific research into hypnosis, placebo effects, and the relationship between mind and body. Decades later, hypnosis also influenced Freud's early work before he developed psychoanalysis.
His story reminds us that psychology often advances by questioning explanations, testing beliefs, and discovering what is actually happening beneath the surface.
Learn More
The Reports of the Royal Commission of 1784 on Mesmer's Systems of Animal Magnetism and Other Contemporary Documents (English translation edited by Robert Darnton). This collection includes the original reports from the commissions appointed by King Louis XVI and provides a fascinating firsthand look at one of history's earliest scientific investigations.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Franz Anton Mesmer and Animal Magnetism
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Franz Anton Mesmer
American Psychological Association: Hypnosis